The Boston Celtics' season began about as horrific as possible with Gordon Hayward's catastrophic injury and two decisive losses. But since then, Boston has reeled off six straight victories, the latest coming with a 113-86 thumping of the Sacramento Kings Wednesday.
The reason for that? Kyrie and the kids.
Kyrie Irving wanted to be the lead point guard on his own team, and he got more than that when Hayward went down. Irving may inexplicably believe the Earth is flat, but he's been good at basketball.
In his last four games, he's shooting over 52 percent, averaging 23.5 points and five assists. Beneficiaries of his largesse have included most of the Celtics' coveted cast of youngsters. On the wings, it's been Jaylen Brown (22 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting Wednesday) and Jayson Tatum (the 19-year-old looks like he belongs in the NBA, shooting 50 percent from deep through eight games).
Even backup point guard Terry Rozier - who Celts management reportedly refused to give up for Serge Ibaka last year - is showing his wares, scoring in double digits in Boston's last two wins.
The catalyst with Irving, though, has been his defense. He racked up four steals Wednesday to give him a league-leading 21 so far this season. As a team, the Celtics lead the NBA in both defensive rating and rebound percentage in the early going. While he's no kid, Al Horford has been the key on the glass, while Tatum has averaged close to seven boards a game.
The defensive effort may be contagious. Second-round pick Semi Ojeleye, who many feel fell in June's draft - and into a tough spot rotation-wise in Boston - has taken advantage. His shutdown D on Giannis Antetokounmpo's possession last week was tremendous, and he's seen an uptick in minutes since.
Ojeleye’s defense on Giannis last night 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/emTUsYP3hx
— Celtics Junkies (@CelticsJunkies) October 27, 2017
"We ask them to do a lot," Irving said Wednesday, per ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "My job as one of the leaders on the team is to elevate those guys."
It's rare for a franchise to finish a season with the best record in its conference and then return only four players the next year, but that's exactly what the Celtics did this summer. Boston got its superstar after years of asset collection and was supposed to have a secondary star in Hayward, but fate didn't allow that.
For now, Kyrie and the kids are showing promising returns.
